Consider the forest or the trees? The effects of mindset abstraction on memory-based consideration set formation

ion in word association tasks, show that concrete mindset leads to richer associations and more conceptual cues than abstract mindsets. Studies 2a and 2b, using alternative manipulations of mindset abstraction in different product categories, directly demonstrate that individuals in a concrete mindset form larger memory-based consideration sets than their counterparts in an abstract mindset. Studies 3 and 4, using an episodic memory paradigm in a controlled setting, examine the Hypothesis of Top-down versus Bottom-up Approach of Memory Retrieval regarding the underlying mechanism of the mindset abstraction effect on size of memory set. The findings support the hypothesis by showing that individuals in a concrete (vs. an abstract) mindset rely on subordinate (vs. superordinate) cues in memory retrieval, and the type of retrieval cues determines the likelihood that a brand is considered as well as the number of choice alternatives people consider. Finally, I conclude this paper with the theoretical contributions as well as the practical implications of this research, and a discussion of the future directions of this research.